If you're looking for an entire second life, we're here to judge. We're only here to serve, which is why we've curated a list of the best MMOs and MMORPGs on PC right now. There's many a massively multiplayer experience to find out there these days, running the gamut from fantasy to sci-fi and... well mostly those two things, but you can still build a little you and live in a whole new world, make virtual friends to share your life with, engage in huge battles against massive enemies, and spend your evenings on raids to grind out levels. Some of the games on this list are tried and true classics that have stuck around for the long haul, and some are newer entries, but all offer deep worlds that you can disappear into.
]]>This weekend, Lord Of The Rings Online players gathered to commemorate the life of British actor Sir Ian Holm, who passed away aged 88 last Friday. Despite a filmography spanning over five decades, the late actor is best known by many as the definitive Bilbo Baggins - taking the role of the centenarian hobbit in Peter Jackson's adaptation. Fitting, then, that the denizens of the venerable Middle-Earth MMO have come together in their own fellowships to pay respects.
]]>Unless you're in one of those international versions of Big Brother that are still going on, you've probably noticed that we're in the midst of a pandemic of something called the Covid-19 virus. I can tell it's serious because my dad's American girlfriend isn't allowed to visit him, which means he's bored and phoning me in the middle of the day. Haha, I joke. But he is 70, and has a weak heart, plus he's immunocompromised on account of catching Lyme disease from a tick once (which is exactly the sort of ridiculous thing that only happens to country dads).
If you're anything like us, you're now at home, staring at the walls of your living room because of this social distancing thing. But it's not just you. In fact, all of RPS is now working from home for the foreseeable future, too. So in the spirit of camaraderie, I've pooled some suggestions for video games to play while we're self-quarantining. We've got some multiplayer ones, some board-gamey ones, and, of course, a healthy dollop of free ones.
]]>Daybreak Game Company, the H1Z1 and PlanetSide 2 mob formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, have laid off an unconfirmed number of staff. It's the second wave of layoffs at Daybreak this year, and a real tough time to be laid off. It's the usual "optimising our structure" sort of reason. Daybreak say they'll continue to run their current and are working on new games too.
]]>Things were better in the old days, you'll have heard if you were born within the past four millennia. Children were more respectful, rulers were more divine, gods were more merciful, and expansions hadn't changed your favourite MMORPG. Reader, you can go back. You don't even need to hop in a DeLorean and drive to a Hot Tub Time Machine, as more MMOs are now resurrecting vintages versions (psst read our new impressions of WoW Classic). The latest is The Lord Of The Rings Online, which today launched a 'Legendary' server calling back to 2007. You'll need to pay for access, just like the old days.
]]>The Lord of the Rings Online was due to finally add Mordor in its new expansion today, over a decade after the MMORPG first launched, but memesters will know full well that walking into Mordor is a difficult feat. The doorknob is at troll height, for starters. So it's no surprise that developers Standing Stone Games announced at short notice that, contrary to plans, the Mordor expansion will not launch today. They're busy squishing a bug and hope to offer an updated release date soon.
]]>It takes a long time to travel to Mordor. 10 years, apparently, because a decade after MMO The Lord of the Rings Online [official site] released it's getting its sixth expansion, transporting players into the shadow of Mount Doom.
It's a big one, too, adding more than 300 new quests and a new allegiance system through which you can align yourself with one of the factions trying to get a grip on Mordor. It's out 31st July.
]]>Oh! One newsbit we missed over Horacemas is the changes afoot at Turbine. The MMORPG specialists announced that they're closing down Asheron's Call, after seventeen years, and its sequel. Meanwhile, the teams behind Dungeons & Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online have started their own new studio, Standing Stone Games, and taken the games with them. That leaves the remains of Turbine making... a Batman mobile game? Standing Stone plan to continue working on DDO and LotRO as before, though they've now teamed up with Daybreak Games Company (the former Sony Online Entertainment lot) to publish 'em.
]]>We all know how the story of Rohan plays out, and in November The Lord Of The Rings Online will allow you to play out that story. The Helm's Deep expansion is a great big piece of work for the MMO, including the famous siege itself, and a raise of the level cap to 95. It's not unpricey, though, with the basic edition ringing in at a hefty £29.99.
More details below.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard is out at the end of this month - the 27th to be dangerously precise - and that means anyone who was on the beta can talk about it. Except I wasn't, as I have this full time job. However, it does mean a bunch of new details have been revealed, along with some new screenshots revealing new gear and weapons. As ever we bring you the most helpful coverage, below.
]]>Crikey. This man is travelling 2000 miles in a box at the beginning of next month and the only thing he says he will do while inside is play Lord of the Rings Online. Jordan Wayne Long is a performance and video artist who, from July 7, plans to travel from a town called Bald Knob (hehe) in Arkansas to Portland, Oregon in a specially designed crate. That’s across seven states. In a box. Playing LOTRO.
]]>MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online may have gone free to play, but that doesn't mean Turbine have to stop making pay-for expansion packs. The third, Rise of Isengard, now has a date- September 27th. It'll bring with it three new areas (Isengard, Dunlan and the Gap of Rohan), a level cap increase up to 75, a new 24 player raid and more.
I'm continually impressed by the deviousness of games developers. Check this out: As an extra bonus if you buy Rise of Isengard now, you're immediately granted access to in-game benefits ranging from a 25% XP boost to new mounts. Genius. I'm also not sure I've ever seen Base, Heroic and Legendary editions of an expansion pack before. A trailer as well as a full list of both Rise of Isengard's features and the pre-order benefits awaits after the jump.
]]>Lord Of The Rings Online is to be entirely taken over by Turbine, Eurogamer reports. Until now the European servers have been in the hands of Codemasters, who seem to cling on to existence via their Codies Online Gaming hosting MMOs. But from the 1st June, the developers will be operating all their servers worldwide. Why tell you? Because if you're a player you're going to need to migrate your account across to the new owners. All the servers will remain, so there's no cause for disruption. But you will need to make the account move, which will of course be free. There's an FAQ for those who have further questions about the whole business. LOTRO is of course now free to play, which makes the need to re-enter your billing details the sort of thing that makes my brain hurt.
]]>Codemasters have provided us with a fancy newbie code for Lord Of The Rings Online (EUROPE EDITION!) One code can be claimed per person, and can be used when creating a new account. It gives you free stuff! This is the free stuff: War Cloak of Isildur (a cloak) – Provides 34 Armour & +120 non-combat morale regeneration, The Guiding Star (a pocket Item) - Increases +1% Critical Hit Mod, Ring of Agility (Jewellery) Provides +3 Agility to the player’s character, Waybread of Imladris (Food) Restores power, heals damage, and increases Morale & Power regeneration. (Stack of 10), Bree-horse (Mount) – Provides faster travel around Middle-earth, can be used at lower player levels.
]]>Free to play, but you're also free to pay! That's my clever motto. Here's some good news. Lord Of The Rings Online, since going free-to-play (which annoyingly abbreviates to FTP, which is already used up) has tripled its revenue. That's madness! Free things make money?! It turns everything in the world all topsy-turvy! Next they'll be saying piracy encourages sales! Which way is up?
]]>The free-to-play launch of Lord Of The Rings Online in Europe is upon us, and to celebrate Codemasters have provided us with a number of 500 points (roughly £5) vouchers of in-game cash tokens, which you can spend on trinkets and treasures from the game's item store. Want one? Then email us here with your best idea for the name of an ent. The best ent names will win the virtual elf bucks. All the usual rules apply, with the additional caveat that you need to be resident in an EU country to apply.We will select the winners on Monday and then LOTRO folk will be in touch with the vouchers.
]]>No, it's not Turbine being particularly vindictive to RPS. While the free-to-play reboot of the MMO is kicking off in the rest of the world it's been delayed in Europe. Why? Codemaster's Michael Rowland says to Eurogamer: "Given the complexities and challenges faced in the preparation and implementation of the new store to work within our infrastructure, we feel more time is needed to deliver the high level of service our players have quite rightly come to expect." which seems to be a bit "our dog ate our homework". While the full launch is today, the early start is underway (for beta and previous players). You can download the normal client here and the high-res texture one here. The Beta client won't work, basically. What's it like? Well, let me direct you at the impressions article we wrote during the Beta. We'll bring news of the Europe release when Codemasters' dog regurgitates their servers.
]]>Kieron: Hello Phill Cameron of the land of the north. How are you today? Phill: I'm fine, although I'm still recovering from chicken-apoplexy. Kieron: The chicken is the angriest of the fowl. I too have been thinking about Chick... wait a sec. Have you been playing Lord of the Rings Online's Free-to-play Beta? Phill: I have! Or, as I like to refer to it: Watership Down-but-with-chickens. Kieron: I think we should probably go around the back end to talk about that. You ever played the original version? Phill: No, I'm a LOTRO virgin. But you have, I gather?
]]>It seems that after the success of Dungeons & Dragons Online going free to play, Lord Of The Rings Online is to adopt a similar model. We found out a bit more about what that means by talking to Adam Mersky, Director of Communications at Turbine, and Kate Paiz, Executive Producer for the project. They explained how they see this new model as the logical, mature direction for MMOs, and how removing the subscription could be the best approach for the future of online entertainment.
]]>Gosh. No room for a rubbish gag in the headline. This must be what being Jim feels like. Anyway - Turbine's actually-really-rather-good MMO is going free-to-play from fall this year. The game's funding seems to be via micropayments via the Store (From the expansion packs and premium content to stuff like character customisation, character slots and utility items like potions) or become a VIP (Which gives access to all premium content and other bonuses). Worth noting it says that what you spend in the game shop can be earned in-game as well as bought. First impression? Really worth watching and possibly game-changing. Lord of the Rings Online is a genuinely strong MMO. Immediately, other free-to-play games start having a higher standard to live up to... and ones which demand a subscription start looking somewhat expensive. You can sign up for its Beta which launches on June 16th and the full-press release below...
]]>Lord of the Rings Online expansion The Siege of Mirkwood is now online. Are you already there? Or planning to return? I must confess to having had no real experience of LOTRO, beyond a disastrous pre-release event where I was abandoned in some weird place with nothing to do for 45 minutes before quitting in confusion. I'm assured this isn't how the game works, but instead it's a deep, involved and rather musical MMO. And now it's even bigger with this new chunk of game. There's a launch trailer below to get you in the mood.
]]>It's competition time again! In celebration of the release of the Mirkwood expansion Codemasters have given us three triple-pack key sets for Lord Of The Rings Online, so that includes Shadows of Angmar, Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood, and we're giving them away to you. Head south of the click for details. (This is a UK-only competition, I'm afraid, but stay tuned, because the RPS Hivemind will itself be brave the deep dark of Mirkwood in December.)
]]>A little while back, I attempted an interview with Turbine's producer Jefferey Steefel about their reliably successful MMO Lord Of The Rings Online. It was intended for a preview of the upcoming expansion Siege Of Mirkwood, and for another publication. I wasn't, ah, entirely illuminated by the answers I got, so I sent some follow-up questions intended to further solicit his thoughts on the extent to which the players have shaped the game, and why it's proven to be such a survivor in what are broadly dark times for the MMO industry. Alas, the responses didn't arrive in time for that piece - but now I have them, and it seems a shame to waste them. PC gaming website to the rescue! If I'm honest, I suspect speaking to some of LOTRO's more dedicated players (is that you? Please, share your thoughts below) would have given a significantly more useful sense of why it's a diamond in the MMO rough, but here's sir Steefel's thoughts on the matter....
]]>Lord Of The Rings Online doesn't seem to be getting a huge amount of press these days, but it's nevertheless trundling onwards, with Turbine seeming to put a huge amount of work into expanding the game. The attitude of the few LOTRO players I know seems to reflect that: they're not talking up their game to any great degree, but they seemed pleased enough with how it has been handled, and how Turbine have delivered more stuff since launch. Siege Of Mirkwood is the second expansion, which apparently concludes the quest arcs set in motion by last year's Mines Of Moria. It's also supposed to introduce randomised, scaleable instances, which sounds like a useful notion, as well as doing the obligatory level cap raise, this time to 65. It's due for a December 1st release, and the official trailer sits under the nether-click. It's got elves in, and a Ring Wraith fortress. Spooks.
]]>How do you besiege a mirky wood? Expect to find out shortly, when Turbine release its Digital Download pack for Lord of the Rings online. It's a digital download pack rather than something you can buy in the shop, and features... oh, lots of stuff. Raised level cap. Jump-in Skirmish Feature (Which sounds a little like what Warhammer does). Kicking over Dol Guldur, which is a place which has always deserved a good kicking. Lots of stuff, but there's some interesting bonuses for this. For example, any returning (or current) player who upgrades their sub for multiple months before October 31st will get it for free. Which strikes me as smart. I'm particularly affectionate towards Mirkwood today, as my girlfriend has given me a amusingly photoshopped picture of Beorn in bear form with a Kenickie badge on his ursine lapel. See more of its features here, catch a glance at the first grabs here and watch some footage taken with a camera at Pax below...
]]>It's really the silly season. A week after the latest expansion to Azeroth, Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria has been released (And EQ2 too). We interviewed Jeffrey Steefel about it a couple of months back when I had a play on the closed Beta code. And while I enjoyed it, the season being so packed, I haven't had a chance to go back and play the open Beta. And now it's too late. Man! Anyway - here's the new launch trailer to tease what really can be described as the Ur-dungeon.
]]>We've spoke to Turbine Producer Jeffrey Steefel before, but with the forthcoming Mines of Moria expansion, we grasped the chance to do so again. Coming fresh from hands-on with the Beta code in the game, we sat down to talk about how far LOTR:Online has come, the importance of Moria to the RPG, the really novel Legendary Weapons system (which will be the feature which everyone steals, I strongly suspect) and the current state of the Fantasy MMO. The transcript hides beneath the cut. Speak Friend, and enter.
]]>Another of those vaguely meh 'if I blog about it, the time I spent playing it wasn't wasted' webgames. Swig and Toss is a free promotional doohickey for the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online expansion, The Mines of Moria. It's about dwarves (dwarfs? I can never remember which is Tolkien-approved), axe-throwing and booze.
]]>Apropos of nowt, thought I'd lob up this spare interview with Turbine's Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel about Lord of the Rings Online, conducted late last year. 'T'ain't nothing fancy, and is only a partial transcript (can't find the original recording, annoyingly), originally intended for an 'Introduction to LOTRO' kinda feature in a publication that didn't eventually happen. Games journalism is a fool's errand, kids.
Nonetheless, there's some hopefully interesting comments about the thinking behind the game, its apparent blatant WoWiness and the casual/hardcore split.
]]>Pipe-playing simulator Lord of the Rings Online has had its first expansion pack unveiled. Appropriately, it's allowing those enthusiastic hobbits into the Mines of Moria. Codies are calling it "Volume II", which implies a fairly hefty chunk of new game, but we'll have to wait until Autumn to find out the full details. In the meantime we know that it will,
"let players explore the ancient underground cities of the dwarves, battle epic characters in the depths, face off with the Watcher, be a part of the fateful release of Durin’s Bane and more!"
The full list of features are below.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online is a queer fish, critically speaking. Most reviewers with half a brain about them were entirely concious of just how unashamed a World of Warcraft clone it was (those without just shouted “it's got Gandalf in it!"), presenting something of a dilemma. Do we kick it for not trying very hard at all, or do we celebrate it for, as a result, being accessible and characterful in a way most other MMORPGs aren't? It's a game without true purpose other than to make money; it scientifically assessed what people wanted right now and did them, adding almost nothing of its own.
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